THE CONTINENTAL COAL-TITMOUSE 233 



7-12, but much larger numbers, even up to 24, having been 

 found in one nest, probably two hens sometimes lay together. 

 Colour white, sometimes unmarked, but generally spotted or 

 speckled with a light chestnut, and showing a tendency to a zone. 

 Breeding -season. End of April in south, early May in north. 

 Incubation. Lasts 13-14 days (Evans). Only one brood in British 

 Isles. 



FOOD. Although injurious to ripe apples and pears in autumn, 

 and prone to attack buds in spring, the good done by devouring 

 injurious insects outweighs damage except in special cases. Young 

 fed on larvse of lepidoptera and aphides. Insects taken include 

 coleoptera, small lepidoptera and larvse, larvse of diptera, hymenop- 

 tera and larvse, and hemiptera. Plant lice and scale insects, as 

 well as aphides, are also largely eaten, and also spiders and milli- 

 pedes. Besides fruit, wheat, beech -mast, chestnuts, birch seeds, 

 maize, and sunflower seeds are also eaten. 



DISTRIBUTION. Confined to British Isles. England, Wales, and 

 Ireland. Resident. Generally distributed. Scotland. Resident. 

 Generally distributed, but becomes rare and very local in north- 

 west, and apparently only occasional Caithness ; well distributed 

 most I. Hebrides, but rare Skye, and apparently unknown Eigg ; 

 iinknown 0. Hebrides. Blue Tits (subspecies unknown) have on 

 rare occasions reached Orkneys and Shetlands. 



MIGRATIONS. British Isles. Generally considered subject only to 

 local movements, but movements of small bands to east and south 

 coasts occur in late autumn, and there is evidence of southward 

 passage along east coast (Forth to Suffolk) Oct. and Nov. and 

 indications of return movement April. Migrants also recorded from 

 Little Ross Light (Kirkcudbright.) Oct. 



PARUS ATER 



95. Parus ater ater L. THE CONTINENTAL COAL- 

 TITMOUSE. 



PARTJS ATER Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 190 (1758 " Habitat in 



Europa." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Parus ater Linnaeus, Yarrell, I, p. 489 (part) ; Saunders, p. 105 (part). 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 9). Adult and first winter. Male and female. 

 Like P. a. britannicus but nuchal patch, cheeks and ear-coverts 

 purer white ; mantle, scapulars, and back slate-grey, occasionally 

 slightly washed greenish ; rump browner buff, not so olive as in P. a. 

 britannicus ; upper tail-coverts greyer ; black of throat in a series 

 rather more extensive ; sides, flanks and under tail-coverts duller 

 buff ; fringes of tail- and wing-feathers and wing-coverts greyer, 

 not so greenish ; tips of greater and median coverts usually purer 



